Wish (Wishing Well #1)

Chapter 5

Jimin had been pleasantly surprised when Emily agreed to take off work early and show him around.  Honestly, he didn’t need a tour of the campus as he had already familiarized himself with the campus after enrolling in his classes.  He just wanted to spend time with her, get to know her. That day at the coffee shop when he’d almost knocked her to the sidewalk he had really enjoyed talking to her.  She was lively and creative and funny, once he’d gotten her to come out of her shell. He'd still had to work at it a little bit to break her out of her shell today, but it seemed like she warmed up to him more quickly.

They'd made it through the whole campus and had started toward town. They had passed through a park where she told him little bits and pieces of information about each person there. He must have been giving her a weird look, because she explained, “I come to the park a lot. Sometimes I eat my lunch here and sometimes I'll bring my drink from the coffee shop here and relax before or after work.”

She smiled softly and looked around the park.

“This town has good people in it. A lot of the locals know each other and are very friendly to new people. When I moved here for college a lot of people would come up and greet me. They even came to my apartment and tried to give me food and see if I needed any help. Honestly, it kind of freaked me out to begin with, but then I realized they're just good people. So, I got to know some of them.”

Emily turned back to Jimin and smiled at him before continuing on towards the strip of businesses between the various apartment complexes and the park. Jimin smiled after her. He fought the urge to reach for her hand when he caught up with her. He didn't know her well enough to be grabbing her hand. Besides, that wasn't what he was here for.

Before he knew it, Emily had taken him to each of her favorite places on the strip and had introduced him to the owners. Everyone had been so friendly and welcoming that Jimin was a little shocked. They didn't know him from Adam. Realistically, Emily didn't really know him from Adam, but they were all nice and welcoming, not one of them suspicious like he'd been led to believe they would be. What else were they wrong about when they sent me here Jimin wondered as Emily ushered him inside the coffee shop.

“Do you want the same thing as last time?” Emily asked.

“Sure,” Jimin replied, reaching for his wallet.

Emily reached out, placing her hand on his arm to stop him. A zinging sensation shot up his arm and he paused, surprised by his reaction to her touch.

“It's my turn to buy,” she said with a small smile.

“O-okay,” Jimin stammered. “I'll go find a place to sit.”

“Sounds great!” Emily replied warmly, before turning and making her way to the counter.

Jimin cruised the small, cozy shop and picked the table for two by the window. He watched as she chatted happily with the little old lady in line in front of her. He couldn't hear what they were talking about from where he sat, but he could tell they were enjoying themselves. He looked around the coffee shop taking in the ambience. Most of the tables had groups of people sitting around them visiting, while a few had only a single person reading a book or working on a laptop while they nursed their drink. The shop itself had dark wooden walls and floor. The light wasn't obnoxiously bright or gloomy and the smells of coffee and pastries permeated the air.  

Jimin looked toward Emily again and saw her rifling through her bag for her wallet. He turned to look out the window, taking in the sights of the town. He wondered what it must be like to be part of a community like this, to belong somewhere. He knew that people in his line of work sometimes got out and were able to live normal lives, but that was so rare. Jimin was shaken from his wistful thoughts by Emily sliding into the chair across from him. When he looked over at her he was surprised to see that she appeared shaken. Her face was pale and her eyes were wide.

“Emily?” he said, softly. “Are you alright?”

He could see her trying to school her features back into some semblance of the calm, happy mood she'd been in before.

“I'm fine,” she answered. “I need to stop by Tracks after we’re done here though.”

“Tracks?” he repeated, quirking an eyebrow.

“It's the music shop here in town,” she replied. “I keep forgetting I have a CD I need to see if they'll take back.”

“Oh, okay,” Jimin answered, nodding his head before sipping his drink.

He could tell that Emily was still. . . Unsettled by something, but since they didn't know each other that well he didn't feel that it was his place to pry. They both sipped their drinks quietly for a while. Usually, extended silences made Jimin feel uncomfortable, but there was something about this one that didn't bother him at all.

Once they finished their drinks, Emily slid a couple of bills under one of the saucers and they made their way out of the little shop. They visited more as they walked. Jimin asked about Emily’s job at the library and she told him about the crazy, random things that happened from time to time. She told him about Miss Elgenie, the little old woman from the line, and how she spent her time stirring up the college students to rebel against “the man,” which in most cases happened to be her and Angela and their “atrocious coffee” as Miss Elgenie put it. In turn, she asked him more about his major and what had made him pick the college, but he knew he had to be vague. Jimin gave her the most generic answers he could before changing the subject back around to her again. He asked her about Tracks and she explained about her love of music of all kinds, which somehow led to her pulling a notebook out of her bag to show him.

“I like writing things down,” she told him, making sure to keep her eyes trained on her notebook and not making eye contact with him. “So sometimes if I'm listening to a song or reading a book and a line strikes a chord with me I write it down."

Jimin gently took the notebook from her, his hands brushing against hers in the process. He could almost swear he saw a blush breaking out over her cheeks. He flipped through the notebook while they strolled. The pages were filled with not only book quotes and song lyrics, but what appeared to be thoughts and ideas of Emily's own and doodles of stars and moons and flowers along the margins of the pages.

“That's really neat,” Jimin said, handing her notebook back to her.

She returned the notebook to her bag and grabbed his arm to keep him from walking further. He looked at her questioningly and she pointed to the store in front of them.

“We're here,” she told him with a smile.

Emily let go of his arm as she pushed open the door and walked inside. He made to follow her when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled his phone out and checked the display to see one new message: Have you found her yet?

So, I was a week late, but here's a new chapter!!

Any guesses about Jimin's identity?